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Monday, April 3, 2017

[Review] Justice Calling

Justice Calling (The Twenty-Sided Sorceress Book 1)

By Annie Bellet

Publish Date: July 23, 2014Genre: Urban FantasyRating: 3/5Goodreads SummaryGamer. Nerd. Sorceress. Jade
Crow lives a quiet life running her comic book and game store in Wylde,
Idaho. After twenty-five years fleeing from a powerful sorcerer who
wants to eat her heart and take her powers, quiet suits her just fine.
Surrounded by friends who are even less human than she is, Jade figures
she’s finally safe. As long as she doesn’t use her magic. When
dark powers threaten her friends’ lives, a sexy shape-shifter enforcer
shows up. He’s the shifter world’s judge, jury, and executioner rolled
into one, and he thinks Jade is to blame. To clear her name, save her
friends, and stop the villain, she’ll have to use her wits… and her
sorceress powers.

My Thoughts

Justice Calling is a
fast-paced read with an episodic feel that I hope continues into the
rest of the series. There’s an overarching story line that appears as
though it will carry on in the following books, but there was also a
satisfying conclusion to book one. The story gets straight to
the action, introducing us to Jade Crow, a more-than-she-appears
supernatural being trying to blend in with the animal shifters and other
supernatural beings who live in the small town where she runs a comic
and gaming store. Jade is strong, independent and keeping a secret. At
least, she is until a shifter named Alek comes to town and figures out
who and what she really is. The dynamic between Jade and Alek is
immediate and I enjoyed their interactions, though I would have liked
their relationship to spend more time in the ‘getting to know you’
phase.The world building is subtle, but effective. The
explanations of the shifter hierarchy and the supernatural groups is
done through casual conversation rather than lengthy explanations. I got
the impression that I knew enough for the current story, but that there
would be more revealed as time went on.A particularly
interesting aspect of this series is the role played by gaming culture.
These references made throughout the story add an extra element of
interest that also gives the secondary characters a common starting
point for coming together. There’s also something about outsiders like
shifters finding solace in gaming that resonates.Though
classified as urban fantasy, Justice Calling will also appeal to readers
of paranormal mystery. The use of profanity, while generally employed
to lighten the mood, makes this a series for readers of NA rather than
YA fiction. This isn’t a lengthy read, making it ideal for quick reading
in one or two sittings. It’s the perfect story to get you through a
long commute or a quiet weekend afternoon.

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